The wireless industry has long struggled with the relatively basic dictionary definition of the word "unlimited," often providing "unlimited" services that are anything but. For years carriers have advertised "unlimited" data with all manner of limitations, be it a hard cap, soft cap, throttled throughput or restrictions on how data can be used. Even the most "consumer friendly" unlimited options on the market, like new "unlimited" plans by Sprint and T-Mobile, restrict user tethering, overall consumption, and force users to pay a steep premium for unthrottled gaming, music, and movies.
More recently however Verizon has taken to running a series of adds that provide a new wrinkle to the debate. Clearly Verizon wants to respond to T-Mobile and Sprint, and apparently thought molesting the dictionary even further was its best option. Instead of offering unlimited data, Verizon's new adds proclaim that the company is now offering "limitless" data:
quote:Switch now and get our best deal: Twenty gigs of limitless data with four lines for only $160.
Over at YouTube, viewers of the ad were quick to make fun of Verizon for claiming that a twenty gigabyte cap is "limitless," commenters making astute observations like "you cant cap limitless data you idiots" and "Unlimited> 20 gigs bruh" in response to Verizon's new ads. When pressed by the Truth in Advertising website, Verizon was forced to do an exceptionally entertaining version of the public relations two-step.
"Limitless refers to how you can use your data and unlimited refers to the amount of data," Verizon claims.
"Our competitors claim they offer ‘unlimited plans’ but if you really look at them, they are full of limits on how you use your data with thinks (sic) like SD (not HD) and automatically slowing down your speeds," the company adds. "The way our plans are structured, you can use your data however you want – there are no limits."
Again though, this shouldn't really be that hard. One more time with feeling:
Unlimited
adjective
• 1. not limited; unrestricted; unconfined: unlimited trade.
• 2. boundless; infinite; vast: the unlimited skies.
• 3. without any qualification or exception; unconditional.
Limitless
adjective
• 1. without limit; boundless: limitless ambition; limitless space.
The language of advertising uses words that are spelled and pronounced similar to American English yet have meanings totally foreign to native speakers.
Perhaps they need to publish their Bizarro dictionary, so the rest* of us can get the joke.
*FTC, time to show FCC what ENFORCEMENT looks like.
Verizon is feeling the pinch from TMobile and others.
However, they are still fighting the compete with actual pricing and just trying to pull a fast one on consumers. But consumers will see through it and between this and the "we have the best network so that's why we charge more" not really holding up much anymore, they will have no choice but to start competing on actual price.
The more they fight, the harder it will be to win these customers back.